A Cross-Sectional Survey of Smart Education Management Practices and Perceived Student Outcomes in Chinese Universities

In this study, statistical associations between perceptions of teacher professional development program, education management, student-centred approaches, technology integration, collaborative decision-making, personalised learning plans and perceived overall student outcomes in selected Chinese universities are examined. The study used a cross sectional design with purposive sampling, for a quantitative questionnaire to obtain the participants’ perception. The pre- and post-assessment ratings were designed to assess a respondent's perception of change, not the response to an experimental intervention. A total of 190 students and 68 members of staff groups in selected Chinese higher education institutions were selected as respondents for data collection using structured questionnaires. Data were analysed with SPSS and AMOS software, including reliability tests, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), to assess the measurement properties and statistical relationships between the constructs. Five indirect, positive, and statistically significant relationships emerged in the SEM, which involved teacher professional development program through education management (β = 0.075, p = 0.038) and education management through student-centred approaches (β = 0.099, p = 0.002), technology integration (β = 0.074, p = 0.006), collaborative decision-making (β = 0.074, p = 0.003), and personalised learning plans (β = 0.067, p = 0.020). These associations involve subjective judgments of perceived overall student outcomes, which are based on questionnaire responses about adaptability, academic stress management, supportive learning environment, and academic responsibilities rather than objective measures of academic performance. The findings show the links between student-centered practices, collaborative management, educational technology, teacher development and perceived student outcomes in Chinese universities.